The field of the invention is corona treater stations, and particularly, the construction of "open station" machines such as that disclosed in co-pending U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,110 issued on May 1,1984 and entitled "Treating the Surface of Articles by Electrical Brush Discharge."
Open station corona treaters include an active electrode which is supported along the surface of a roller electrode by a header which is attached at each of its ends to the side assemblies of the station. To facilitate threading of the station the header and attached electrode are mounted to swing clear of the roller electrode. The header is offset slightly to one side of the roller electrode to enable the active electrode and its protective skirt to swing clear of the roller without engaging its surface. This arrangement allows swinging motion in only one direction.
There are a number of situations where it is desirable to allow the active electrode to swing clear in either direction from the roller electrode. For example, as the web passes between the roller electrode and the active electrode, the active electrode must swing clear in the direction of the moving web when engaged by a thickened, or protruding, section of the web. The treater station is much more versatile if it can be positioned such that the web may move in either direction through the treatment zone, and this requires a structure which enables the active electrode to swing clear of the roller electrode in both directions.